Street food's all the rage right now, making this family-friendly comedy timely and fashionable, if a little over done.
Jon Favreau writes, directs and stars in Chef, where the titular character is creatively frustrated but finds himself through his son, Twitter and a food truck. And although the recipe's a familiar one, Favreau's passion, pithy script and down-home performance instils the picture with a flavour that leaves a deliciously sweet taste in your mouth for hours after viewing.
Carl Caspar is the talented head chef of a trendy Los Angeles restaurant, whose creative drought is called out by a ruthless food critic (Oliver Platt). Some serious Twitter beef ensues after his tech-savvy son (Emjay Anthony) introduces Carl to the social network, culminating in Carl publicly berating the critic in the restaurant and consequently losing his job. Like my broken oven the sweary dialogue is hot and loud, and coupled with the bromantic comedy between Carl and his buds, keeps things snap, crackling along. But the story really comes alive when Carl gets his beaten up food truck and starts to ignite his culinary fires with foot-long Cubanos.
On the surface Chef is about a protagonist trying to reconnect with himself and revitalise his creative flair, but really it's the story of a father trying to reconnect with his son. In the first act their relationship is tense and clipped, but after some second act bonding over the cleaning and refurbishment of the food truck, Carl's defences dissolve and the two grow close, with his son acting as a line-chef and learning the ways of the kitchen.
As they travel across America, with Carl's cooking and his son publishing their progress on social media, the food truck becomes a roaring success. Carl's happy, cooking an authentic Cuban menu he developed, and more importantly doing so with his son. This emotional backbone props up the rest of the story, and although sometimes saccharine, it always resonates with heart-warming clarity. Similar to Swingers, this feels like a deeply personal project for Favreau, and the autobiographical element makes it all the more charming.
Despite Chef being as predictable as Heinz tomato soup, it's also as warm and comforting. The pithy script has a kick of spice that makes the story fizz, as does the energetic soundtrack, and there's a fantastic natural chemistry between the cast of characters, like sweet and sour, they complement each other perfectly. Although it might not leave you wanting more, Chef certainly leaves you feeling replete.
On the surface Chef is about a protagonist trying to reconnect with himself and revitalise his creative flair, but really it's the story of a father trying to reconnect with his son. In the first act their relationship is tense and clipped, but after some second act bonding over the cleaning and refurbishment of the food truck, Carl's defences dissolve and the two grow close, with his son acting as a line-chef and learning the ways of the kitchen.
As they travel across America, with Carl's cooking and his son publishing their progress on social media, the food truck becomes a roaring success. Carl's happy, cooking an authentic Cuban menu he developed, and more importantly doing so with his son. This emotional backbone props up the rest of the story, and although sometimes saccharine, it always resonates with heart-warming clarity. Similar to Swingers, this feels like a deeply personal project for Favreau, and the autobiographical element makes it all the more charming.
Despite Chef being as predictable as Heinz tomato soup, it's also as warm and comforting. The pithy script has a kick of spice that makes the story fizz, as does the energetic soundtrack, and there's a fantastic natural chemistry between the cast of characters, like sweet and sour, they complement each other perfectly. Although it might not leave you wanting more, Chef certainly leaves you feeling replete.
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